OU vs. Portland women's basketball: Five things to know about Sooners' NCAA Tournament foe
NORMAN — OU women's basketball opens the NCAA Tournament at 8 p.m. Saturday against 12th-seeded Portland in Los Angeles.
Here are five things to know about the fifth-seeded Sooners’ first-round opponent.
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From the land down under
Nearly half of Portland’s roster hails from Australia.
The Pilots’ seven Australians on the roster are the most in Division I.
That group includes junior forward Alex Fowler, who is averaging 17.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Fowler is just the second player in school history to score 2,000 or more career points.
Portland also has three players from New Zealand.
In the West Coast Conference championship game, the Pilots started two Australians (Fowler and Lucy Cochrane) and one New Zealander (Emme Shearer).
Haylee Andrews, one of the top players in the WCC and a Townville, Australia native, was also in the starting lineup before suffering a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear in January.
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Racking up the assists
There figures to be plenty of assists when the Sooners and Pilots meet.
OU is second in Division I, averaging 20.9 assists.
Portland isn’t too far behind, though, sitting No. 19 nationally and first in the West Coast Conference with 17.0.
The Pilots also led the WCC in field-goal percentage (46%), steals per game (9.5) and turnovers forced per game (17.35). Portland’s field-goal percentage is also 19th nationally.
The Pilots (23-8) are coached by Michael Meek, who is in his fourth season after a successful run at Division III George Fox in Oregon.
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Making up for lost time
Five players on Portland’s roster played for the Pilots in 2019-20, when they won the West Coast Conference title by knocking off then-No. 11 Gonzaga in the semifinals and San Diego in the championship game.
But those players — Alex Fowler, Haylee Andrews, Liana Kaitu-u, Keeley Frawley, Kelsey Lenzie — never got the chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.
The day after that WCC title game, then-Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and shortly thereafter, the NCAA Tournaments for both women and men were wiped out.
Portland has made the tournament four other times, losing each time in the first round.
The Pilots made the tournament four consecutive times, falling in the first round from 1994-97.
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History vs. the Big 12
The Pilots have faced the Sooners once before.
On Jan. 3, 1987, OU — after playing in the Washington Tournament in Seattle a few days earlier — beat the Pilots 83-70 in Portland.
The Pilots are 0-3 all-time against current Big 12 opponents, with the most recent being a loss to Oklahoma State in the 1999-2000 season.
Portland also lost to Texas Tech 78-61 in the opening round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament in Lubbock.
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Soccer school
Portland’s most notable athletics programs are its soccer teams.
The women’s team won the NCAA title in 2002 and 2005.
One of the stars of that second national title team was Megan Rapinoe, who has gone on to become one of the most recognizable stars of the U.S. women’s national team.
Other notable alumni include Kasey Keller, former men’s national team goalkeeper.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is also a Portland alum.
Portland shouldn’t be confused with the other team in town — Portland State, which has two NCAA Tournament appearances.
OU vs. Portland
TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Saturday at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles (ESPNU)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: March Madness 2023: Oklahoma vs. Portland matchup in NCAA Tournament
